Chapter 4

A sick mind and a sick man.

I don't own anything, just playing in better writers sandboxes. To those who are wondering, yes I have a plot that will bring in more conflict now one of the biggest plot contenders has been pushed out, so don't worry there will still be fighting and there are still the walkers to contend with. This chapter just wanted to be written don't expect all of them to be written this fast. I am reposting as I have managed to figure out how to fix the bold issue, will being going through to fix all the chapters that have been posted.

Ramsay Snow

Ramsay has been living in the Dreadfort for the past eight years, learning how to be a proper Bolton from his lordly father Roose Bolton. The moment his weak brother Domeric went to the Barrowlands to be a cupbearer, then page for his aunt Barbrey Dustin at the age of six, Roose Bolton brought Ramsay into the Dreadfort. He has learnt how to hunt, how to fight, how to ambush, and most importantly in Ramsay's mind he has learnt how to flay. Roose would have all prisoners in his lands that have been sentenced to death flayed, saying a good flaying could make any man appreciate life. It was publicly told the deaths were by beheading at a hearts tree. Roose started the flaying lessons by showing Ramsay how to do it, starting with animals then leading up to the prisoners, most of the prisoners being poachers caught on his land.

Flaying the poachers caught on his fathers land has been the only sort of bonding Ramsay felt he did with his father. Roose has told Ramsay on many occasions that Domeric was too weak hearted to flay humans. Being too weak to flay a human just made Domeric weak in all ways in Ramsays mind. Both Ramsay and Roose wanted to bring back the days of the Red Kings, when everyone feared the Boltons, when the Boltons were not subservient to the Starks. Flaying was better in his mind than when he made his first Reek. That Reek did not last long, only a few moons, but with time Ramsay has gotten better at keeping them alive and breaking them so fully they will never mentally heal.

Having recently learnt from reading his fathers correspondence that his younger brother, the so-called Bolton Heir would be coming back from the Vale in little over a year and a half, Ramsay starts to make plans. Ramsay believes that it would be better if he is an only child that way his father would have no other choice but to have him legitimised as a Bolton so he can be lord Bolton once his father takes the long dirt nap. A dirt nap Ramsay thought he might help his father take once he has the Bolton name. Roose recently forbade Ramsay from trying to contact Domeric, Ramsay suspects that his father knows of the plans Ramsay is making for his brother.

Ramsay has a hunting hut near the Weeping River which his father has given him, in the woods between the Dreadfort and Hornwood lands. He uses it when he is starting a hunt, a hunt of a woman. Ramsay doesn't do these hunts as often as he would like, for one he doesn't want his father to catch on to the fact he is seducing some of the small folk women from not only their lands but the Hornwood and Karstark lands too, seducing them only to hunt them when they disappointed him. Ramsay tries to keep it to once every six moons. His last hunt happened little over three moons ago, but a girl has caught his eye.

The kennel master's daughter Myranda, she is only a year or so younger than Ramsay's six and ten years. There was something about the girl that made Ramsay feel something he hasn't felt before. Ramsay doesn't know what the feeling is however. Myranda was cruel and vicious to the other serving girls. Ramsay would watch her from the many shadowed hiding spots in the Dreadfort, when Myranda thought that know one was watching she would oft trip the serving girls, acting apologetic afterwards only to push them down the stairs after they turned their backs on Myranda. Many a serving girls in the Dreadfort got injured from Myranda, but it wasn't just Myranda, Ramsay and Roose would also hurt them, just not in the same way as Myranda.

The maester had to patch the girls up daily from the sexual savagery of Ramsay, or the whipping of Roose. Ramsay was very careful not to kill the serving girls he lay with, but he was also very careful to kill all the women his father lay with, except those his father took as part of the right of the first night. That custom may have been outlawed but so was flaying and that didn't stop Roose from doing it anyway. The fact that the Starks had made Flaying outlawed which was the Bolton method of executing those they saw as traitors but the Starks had not outlawed the Blood Eagle which was the Stark method of dealing with traitors was what really annoys Roose, even if the Starks haven't used that method in the past two hundred years.

Ramsay is considering bringing Myranda on his next hunt to see if she could please him. There were many benefits of having someone with him on his hunts that wasn't Reek. While this Reek is much more capable than his last few, it doesn't stop him from being a broken toy. This Reek will not last much longer as he is starting to bore Ramsay. When people bore Ramsay they end up disappearing as such people were replaceable. Everyone is replaceable in Ramsays mind.

Myranda is someone that Ramsay was hoping could cure his boredom, he just has to pick his next hunt first and see if Myranda would be another disappointment or if for once he has actually found a companion that he can trust. Ramsay is hoping that she won't disappoint him.

Ramsay left the Dreadfort that day, heading for the village just inside the Hornwoods lands, there was a barmaid that he thought would at least be interesting. Only taking Reek with him, thankful that his father did not deem him important enough to assign guards to him. Not that, that has ever stopped Ramsay from ordering the guards around.

While going to the tavern that is a day and a half journey away from the Dreadfort, Ramsay considers taking a trip to the Vale, mayhaps a trip to the Bloody Gate would be worth it. The weak Domeric wouldn't be leaving the gate for at least six moons, it would only take him two moons to arrive there.

The Blackfish.

The Blackfish.

After spending an uncomfortable night in the Tower of the Hand, Brynden left the capital. It was not the bed that made it uncomfortable for Brynden, it was the fact that he knowingly lied to his employer, not just his employer but one of his oldest friends. Jon and Brynden have been friends since before the nine penny kings rebellion, Brynden hated that he had to lie to his friend, it was not something that he was comfortable with. This is what prompted him to only stay the night. Having restocked his supplies the day before makes Brynden's departure faster. Adding another horse to his duo. With the addition he would be able to ride harder through switching horses every few leagues. Brynden wants to get to Riverrun within a sennight.

It took just over a sennight to get to Riverrun. Mostly by not following the roads cutting through the countryside. Having been raised in the Riverlands Brynden knows them well knowing where he can ford the rivers and where he needs to use the uncommonly known or used bridges. Being the brother of the Lord Paramount of the Trident, Brynden never has to worry about the lords or small folk telling him to get off their land, though he was careful not to destroy crops. He has some very distinctive armour, instead of the usual silver scale armour used by house Tully guards, Brynden had black scale with a jumping red trout on the back and a smaller version on the right side of his chest. With his armour everyone knows who he is, even bandits know better than to try to waylay him. He did have the occasional hail from those he passed but very rarely did he stop to talk with them.

He truly only stopped for the prickly lord of Acorn Hall, Lord Theomar Smallwood is one of Hosters most prickly lords, a lord almost as easy to take slight as the Late Lord Fray. Their talk is short and boiled down to Brynden telling him he is in a hurry to get to Riverrun. Not going any further into the explanation, and leaving the lord as soon as it was polite.

Brynden keeps travelling, going over the Stone Mill bridge then following the Red Fork all the way to Riverrun. Having forgone spending the in any keeps that he passed, not having passed many as it was with the way he had travelled. Brynden was glad to be in Riverrun where we could bathe and sleep in a real bed, even if the conversation with Hoster is going to be difficult, Edmure was going to be worse than dealing with Hoster. The young man was a fool. There was no other way of putting it. Edmure has limited military training, couldn't rule, nor keep a castle as big as Riverrun. Brynden has tried multiple times to get the foolish man to train, however Edmure had no interest in anything martial. The only things his nephew wants to do is drinking and whoring. Just like the king.

After eating his first real meal in over a sennight Brynden starts to feel like an actual civilised person. The ale that went with the meal was even better. Watching Hoster out of the corner of his eye to gage his current health, there seems to be a slight tremor in his hands and a small cough, but none of the serious symptoms he could sometimes have.

"So Brynden, when are you planning on telling me why you are here?" Hoster asks with his usual annoyance with his brother. Brynden looks at Hoster then around the half full hall then back to Hoster.

"Well not here that's for sure." Hoster raises one eyebrow then nods toward the doors of the hall.

"My solar then?" Brynden nods his head, standing to leave he sees Edmure getting up to join them. Hoster looks at his brothers and indicates to his son wanting to know if it was something they should be talking about with him there. Brynden just shrugs, leaving it up to his brother to decide, knowing that if it got out it would impact all of them, not just Hoster and Lysa. "Come Edmure since it seems my brother deems it importantly, unimportant."

"It will affect us all, Hoster." Brynden says storming off to his brother's solar. Brynden understands that his brother is mad at him for not marrying the woman that Hoster wanted him to, but the only woman that Brynden could stand, married someone else. While the women Hoster had wanted him to marry had already married thrice with all of her husbands dying mysteriously. She may have been rich, but she was only rich because of her dead husband's. Brynden poured himself a drink once he's in the solar, seating himself in one of the opulent couches set out for visitors, something Hosters late wife had placed in there. It didn't take long for the other two to join him there. Once they were both seated Brynden started.

"Hoster Lysa has done something monumentally stupid. So stupid I wouldn't be surprised to hear that she's thrown herself out the moon door in the next few moons."

"What could my sister have done that's that stupid uncle. And do you mean that lord Arryn would have someone throw her out or that she will jump herself?" Edmure says with a puzzled look on his face. Something that Brynden is far too familiar with.

"You sister kept up her physical affair with Petyr Baelish, her son is not lord Arryn's son. The stupid girl has also been caught trying to poison lord Arryn. And by caught I mean she outright admitted it to Jon Arryn while she was hysterical at Petyr's death. A death I might add that she is at fault for because Petyr drank the poison meant for Jon Arryn." Both other Tully men were in shock at hearing this. They had not expected this to have happened. The first to come out of their shock is as he expected Hoster.

"Does Jon know that Robert isn't his child?"

"I tried to convince him that he is. But I don't know if he believes me. He questioned me about it. He knows I knew Petyr from his foster days." Hoster puts his head in his hands at this point.

"Will it be Lysa who throws herself out the moon door uncle?"

"I don't know, nephew. There are guards with her that can hear everything that she is saying. One of them may just throw her out the moon door due to loyalty. The men of the Vale are very loyal to their lord, as you should know I have told you this many times, Edmure." Brynden was getting frustrated. Knowing how serious this was, the fact that Edmure only seems to care about his sister and not the implications bothered him.

"What do you think Stark will do if he hears about this?" Hoster asks.

"Stark, well I don't know. What I do know is that the only child he has to Cat that has the Stark colouring is the youngest girl. If this gets out and Stark thinks he has no legitimate males, he can have his bastard legitimised in a heartbeat, king Robert is still very fond of Stark. He could also set her aside and send all the other children back here. His lords would be arguing for this move. For one they all like the bastard, as he's not only the image of a true Stark but he acts like one unlike the eldest Rob. Those I have seen over the years all say he acts more like a wet fish than a wild wolf or even a quiet one like Stark and the bastard are." taking another drink he looks at his brother seeing him in contemplation. "You nephew may get away from this with only a slight taint if it comes out as you are male, but any daughters you have will be heavily watched if they ever get with child. That's if anyone will take them. If this gets out it will ruin any prospects of the female members of this family for generations to come."

"But Cat would never be unfaithful, she's dutiful to her core." Edmure protests.

"I know that, you know that, your father knows that. But the lords of the north don't, and what's more they don't like her because they view her as an outsider. She doesn't follow their religion, and she's never tried to learn their ways. She's a southern flower not a northern rose. What's worse is that she forced Stark to build a sept in the heart of the north where the old gods of the forest are the gods."

"She did what?" Hoster rages, which leads to him having a coughing fit. Brynden offers his brother a drink from his cup. Once the fit has subsided he continues "That stupid girl that's almost as bad as what Lysa has done. Those stupid girls. I thought that Stark had done that as an apology for the bastard."

"Hoster you need to listen to the merchants more, this was all over the Riverlands, Vale and the North for months while it was being built. They say her shouting could be heard all the way down into Winter Town, and that she wouldn't stop until her gods were also represented in her home. They also said that it had nothing to do with the bastard as everytime she tried to argue with Stark about him, Cat would be sent to her rooms for the rest of the day. The only time he has ever put his foot down with her is about his bastard, everything else he will just take. This is another reason why the lords don't like her. Lord Umber told me she's trying to turn him into a southern ponce, lord Bolton didn't say much other than to say the North would have been better if she had stayed in Riverrun while Rob went north with Stark." Hoster groans, the tremors in his hand getting slightly worse. Both of the girls had done nothing to ingratiate themselves into their married kingdoms. In fact both seem to have done nothing but isolate themselves from the other lords of the kingdoms their husbands ruled. Edmure is doing a great impression of their house sigil, mouth gaping wide open.

"So to sum up, one of my daughters has tried to kill her husband only to kill her lover. And the other has so badly bungled things with her husband's lords that if the deeds of her sister are found out, those lords will be baying for her blood and the blood of the children that don't look like Starks. I would thank you for bringing this to me brother but I really can't. I know it's important and that I need to know but damn it all to the seven hells I wish you hadn't. No, I wish those girls weren't so damn foolish." Hoster says as he stands up and leaves the room. Brynden understands, if he had, had daughters as foolish as Catelyn and Lysa where acting, he would have been ropable too, knowing that Hoster needs to calm down or his illness could get worse Brynden lets him leave. Edmure looks at his uncle with pleading eyes, hoping that his own sister's actions could be different.

"Surely uncle things aren't that bad?"

"Not yet but they could be. If Jon tells anyone what Lysa has done then it will get that bad. Don't forget I know the men of the north I have fought with them on more than one occasion. They respect me unlike most of what they call southrons. Because of that respect they talk to me despite it being about my own family." With these words Edmure leaves the room leaving Brynden alone with his thoughts.

Brynden leaves the next morning, after having yet another conversation with Hoster in his solar, this time without Edmure, a conversation where Hosters health seems slightly better. Hoster has given Brynden more supplies for his trip back to the Bloody Gate, which he is most thankful for at least he won't have to spend more coin than is needed. It took him a fortnight and a half sennight to get back to the Gate, not having to travel as fast as he had previously, while also travelling along the River Road and High Road.

Upon arriving at the Bloody Gate, Brynden sees Domeric Bolton, Jon Redfort and Albar Royce standing on the balcony where the Knight of the Bloody Gate is meant to state his question, the cheeky sods yelled down to him.

"Who dares to challenge the might of the bloodiest gate in the history of bloody gates? Come feast your eyes upon the blood of the enemies of the Vale!" Domeric yells.

"Who be so bold as to travel alone to attack the bloodiest of bloody things?" Jon yells moments after Domeric.

"Kneel before the might of a monument to the might of blood thrust of the Vale.'' Albar, Nestor Royce's son, yells down having joined in with the two other knuckleheads. Brynden could hear cuckles coming from behind the Gate.

"If you don't have eyes enough to see my sigil nor my armour I dare thee to come down here so I can beat some sight into your three heads." Brynden says trying to keep the jovial mood going, knowing that the boys were only trying to have a laugh.

"Yee be but an old feeble man. One must not harm the elderly after all." Domeric yells back.

"Aye, cant have people saying the knights of the Vale have no honour and attack men in their dottige." Albar yells. The laughter coming from behind the gate doubles at this.

"Neigh my good sers tis but an old wandering knight looking for glory by taking out the knights of the Bloody gate. We shall not let him pass. Yee shall not pass old man." Jon yells as he is trying to hold his own laughter back. The sound of metal hitting the ground could be heard as men on the other side of the gate fell over in their laughter. Even the men above on both sides of the cliff were holding their sides in laughter.

"That's enough, you three knuckleheads. Just you wait until I get in there. I'll tan your backsides for this disrespect. Even if I have to climb the gate to do it."

"Lads get ready thee old man yonder be readying to assault our fair walls." Albar yells at the top of his lungs.

"To arms men, to arms. He be a fierce fish." Jon yells, at this Brynden decides to teach the boys a lesson, and starts to climb the Gate.

"Shit he's climbing, run." Domeric yells, hearing a scattering of footsteps Brynden lowers himself back down. Looking back up at the balcony and seeing it empty Brynden chuckles to himself.

"Are one of you twats behind the gate going to open up or is everyone going on a six league run at dawn on the morrow?" Brynden yells. He can hear a lot of noise along with the laughter of Nestor.

"Just a moment Brynden, some of the men have gone after the boys. The gate will be open in a moment." Nestor yells back to him. As the gate opens Brynden enters to see the three boys in the hands of some of the Vale knights that guard the gate as well as Nestor who has a mirthful look to his face.

"I don't suppose you would forgive three blind boys, would you oh great and powerful lord Blackfish." Domeric says with a sheepish look.

"I might if you three take good care of my horses and put my belongings in my room." Brynden says suppressing a smile. The three boys run forward and grab the horses from the stable hands and guide them over to the stalls. "Give Stranger a good rub down and take the best of care with him." Brynden yells after the boys. Since everyone at the gate knows Bryndens horse there was no need to point out which it is. Nestor walks over to Brynden.

"This is the first time they have not acted the right way. I believe it's because it was you. Everyone else was treated properly." Nestor says and he starts guiding Brynden away.

"I had figured that much. Any news while I have been away?" Brynden says as they enter Nestors solar.

"Got a letter a day or so ago stating that Lysa has arrived in the Eyrie." Brynden nods his head. For the next few hours they talk about a few things that have happened in his absences, not that any of it was overly important, more on how the boys have been doing.

A/N2 yes I know I didn't let Ramsay speak but I was already making myself uncomfortable trying to put myself in his shoes. I needed to end it without him talking. The next Ramsay chapter will be soon then I'll let him speak, but this chapter needed to build up his character. Yes the show and books already did that but I wanted to give more background info on what I have changed for Ramsay, in canon Ramsay doesn't go to the Dreadfort until Domeric is dead.